100 cryptid writing prompts

100 cryptid writing prompts

Here are 100 cryptid writing prompts: Legends persist in cultures worldwide of mythical creatures lurking on the fringe of imaginations. While most relegate these beasts to fiction, what if rumored sightings held truth? Consider legends not as tall tales, but garbled messages from bygone eras trying to warn later generations. Perhaps the time has come to read between the lines.

Fantastic accounts throughout history share curious common threads that demand deeper scrutiny. Dragon bones influence Chinese medicine, Egyptians embalmed Griffin remains, and Greek literature abounds with Cyclopes. The collective consciousness anchored these creatures for a reason. Dismissing cryptids as fantasy risks overlooking critical pieces of reality’s puzzle.

The prompts compiled here encourage digging past the improbable legends to explore what core messages persevere. Might ancestors attempt to convey real dangers or opportunities that technology rendered temporarily invisible? Conceivably cryptids faded from perceived reality not into fiction, but camouflaged dimensions accessible when conditions align.

Consider these writings a codex binding mythologies across continents and centuries to decode truths within. Use them as keys unlocking doors modernity closed to glimpse realities earlier eras accepted intrinsically. Perhaps these glimpses reveal destinies or omnipresent conflicts through fresh perspectives.


At very least, let these cryptid accounts spark curiosity stretching beyond the probable to probe life’s unanswered mysteries. Perhaps our legends await not debunking in the name of “truth”, but humble understanding that our truth represents but one slice of reality’s infinite pie. The true tale weavers may still whisper just out of modern earshot, awaiting a new generation to hear their timely tales anew.

Here are 100 writing prompts about cryptids:

1. You see Bigfoot wandering through the woods behind your house. Write about following him and trying to get proof of his existence.
2. You find an old journal describing the Jersey Devil. Write a story imagining you released it from containment.
3. You wake up one morning with horns and hooves like the chupacabra. Describe your new abilities.
4. The Loch Ness Monster surfaces near your boat. Why do you think it has shown itself to you?
5. Kids go missing in your town every year. Write about discovering the mysterious creature responsible.
6. You find out your new neighbor is actually Mothman in disguise. What signs made you suspicious?
7. A news report confirms the existence of werewolves. Write about the societal changes that follow.
8. You capture video of fairies at the bottom of your garden. Describe the footage and reactions.
9. Your cousin admits she was abducted by aliens. Write about the story she tells you.
10. You accidentally awaken a sleeping yeti while hiking in the Himalayas. What happens next?
11. The government reveals vampires are real and attempts to reassure the public. How do people respond?
12. Your boyfriend confesses he is secretly a reptilian shapeshifter. How do you react?
13. A plesiosaur is discovered alive in a remote lake. Describe the expedition to study it.
14. You find elven artifacts hidden beneath a tree in the forest. What do they reveal?
15. Write a story about a portal that opens to a world filled with mythical creatures.
16. Your mom catches you researching banshees and confronts you about your curiosity. How do you respond?
17. You accidentally hit a gnome with your car. What are the consequences?
18. You swim to the bottom of Loch Ness and discover an ancient monster temple. What’s inside?
19. You find a mermaid trapped in plastic at the beach. How do you help her?
20. A unicorn guides you to a hidden fairy kingdom. Describe the magical creatures and setting.
21. You suspect your eccentric old neighbor is caring for a baby dragon. What clues lead to this theory?
22. A scary Bed and Breakfast you visit seems haunted by ghosts. Write a story recounting the paranormal events.
23. On vacation in Paris, you glimpse a goblin stealing baguettes. Describe the chase through the city streets.
24. A genie appears from an old lamp you uncover. Write about the wishes you make.
25. You spot jackalopes infesting your backyard garden. How do you attempt to remove them humanely?
26. You stay overnight in an ancient castle rumored to have gargoyles. What makes you suspect the rumors are true?
27. During a full moon, you start turning into a werewolf. Describe how you learn to cope with the changes.
28. You discover a secret colony of fairies living in your garden shed. Why do you think they chose that location?
29. Write about finding a lost baby sasquatch and attempting to locate its mother.
30. You accidentally free a djinn trapped in an old oil lamp. It grants you three wishes – what do you wish for?
31. The library has a restricted section filled with books of magic and mystical creatures. Sneaking in, which book do you read first?
32. A famous psychic unexpectedly contacts you claiming your Doppelgänger is sabotaging your life.
33. Gnomes start building tiny houses in your front yard without permission. How do you diplomatically get them to leave?
34. On vacation abroad, you take a photo that ends up capturing Bigfoot wandering the background. Describe your journey to find him again.
35. You discover Atlantis thriving in an undiscovered trench at the bottom of the ocean. Write a story about exploring the advanced civilization.
36. As a kid, you had an imaginary friend who you later learned was actually a supernatural creature only you could see. Tell that story.
37. Write about a parallel fantasy world that exists behind mirrors and your journeys traipsing between realities.
38. On a hike you discover giant footprints that can only belong to a towering monster. Describe frantically tracking its trail.
39. You accidentally conjure a demon while reading Latin from an old book. How will you banish it back to hell?
40. A dying dragon eggs hatches in your backyard, imprinting on you as its mother. Describe your new risky role raising it in secret.
41. Time travelers arrive from the future warning you about an impending cryptid apocalypse. Heed their instructions or ignore them?
42. You discover you have psychic abilities. The first vision you receive is of the Loch Ness monster sinking boats in the future. How might this come true?
43. As a baby, a witch cursed you – on every full moon you turn into a werewolf. Describe what this transforming curse is like.
44. You come from a long line of monster hunters. Your final test before joining the family business is leading an expedition to catch the Jersey Devil. Plan your strategy.
45. A vampire falls in love with you, complicating the fact that your family are famous vampire slayers. Write about the forbidden romance.
46. You accidentally free a mummy from its tomb. It believes you are the reincarnation of its lover from ancient times.
47. You encounter a leprechaun who offers you a pot of gold in exchange for helping him battle other magical creatures. Do you accept or decline?
48. Write about finding Excalibur – the legendary sword of King Arthur – lodged within a rock on a remote Scottish island.
49. You discover a secret community of angels living amongst humans in disguise. One angel tells you an apocalypse is imminent…
50. You serve an ancient kraken that resides beneath your seaside village – if you fail, it will destroy your town. Write about your tense rituals keeping it appeased.
51. A singer’s hypnotic voice is mysteriously enchanting local villagers. You realize she is secretly a siren luring victims to their death. How will you defeat her?
52. A magical plague transforms local townspeople into zombie-like creatures. Contain the outbreak before it spreads further.
53. You find a genie’s lamp while exploring a hidden cave. The genie inside has nefarious plans for your three wishes.
54. On a trip to Romania, you start to suspect your host family are secretly vampires. Uncover the truth.
55. The Wendigo, a mythical man-eating creature, starts hunting you after you survive a blizzard in its territory. How will you escape?
56. A banshee arrives at your village foretelling an imminent death. Whose death is she predicting and can tragedy be prevented?
57. You discover a herd of unicorns with broken horns, symbolizing a loss of innocence in the world. Piece together what caused this disturbing event.
58. While backpacking through Europe you run into a stranger who claims to be a famous immortal wizard. Do you believe him?
59. You accidentally free a djinni trapped in a ring you find in an antique shop. It offers to grant you any three wishes in return for its freedom. What do you wish for?
60. You serve a sea witch to repay a family debt. She promises to free you if you can complete three impossible tasks. What might they be?
61. A doorway within a tree in your backyard serves as a portal between Earth and a fantasy realm. You befriend the elf prince on the other side.
62. Phoenix feathers and scales start appearing around your neighborhood preceding rebirths after tragedies. What events might follow?
63. You discover a lost city buried beneath a volcano – inside it appears an advanced civilization once lived alongside dragons. Piece together their history.
64. A charismatic politician with seemingly supernatural charm and leadership is elected. You suspect he made a literal deal with the devil.
65. A girl at your school has a strange psychic bond with animals – you suspect she can actually talk to mythological creatures. What magic might she work?
66. A cryptid starts lurking around your hometown that can shapeshift into anyone. Describe paranoia setting in as you suspect friends and family might secretly be imposters.
67. A unicorn guides you to a fairy realm populated by mythical creatures. You befriend a fairy prince there while hiding the truth that you’re human.
68. You serve as an earthly anchor for a curious angel that manifests to secretly observe humanity. Over time, you two debate morality and the meaning of life.
69. You discover a genie who was cursed to grant twisted interpretations of wishes. What unintended consequences might unfold as you unwittingly make three fateful wishes?
70. A dragon arrives proclaiming you destined to be its rider. Despite skepticism, a magical bond forms between you as you train to work in unison.
71. You mysteriously exchange bodies with Bigfoot. Describe adapting to each other’s lives until you can reverse the switch.
72. Every myth has basis in truth – write about scientists confirming legendary creatures exist yet are endangered and nearing extinction from human activity.
73. A chupacabra plaguing local farms turns out to be a genetically engineered creature that escaped its lab. Track down its creators.
74. A mermaid washes ashore tangled in plastic pollution but still alive – unable to return her to sea, you secretly care for her in a saltwater tub as she recovers from her injuries.
75. Your ancestral village in Scotland has for centuries worshiped a kelpie that resides in a nearby loch. Write about your tense yearly ritual sacrificing animals to the mysterious water spirit.
76. You discover a lost city in the Amazon rainforest where humans peacefully coexist alongside mythical creatures. Describe potential culture clashes and opportunities upon revealing their existence to modern civilization.
77. Angels and demons wage a hidden celestial war using Earth as their battlefield, uncaring about human collateral damage. You’ve learned to see through the Veil – how might you intervene?
78. Write about us humans discovering we’re the cryptids in an advanced intergalactic community after centuries of alien visitations to Earth.
79. An outbreak of zombies exposes the existence of necromancers and their magical arts manipulating the dead. Band together with sorcerers to defeat them.
80. All creatures of myth exist as endangered species sequestered on a secret sanctuary island preserve. You visit as a conservationist scientist studying and working to sustain the populations.
81. You discover a lost colony of fairies still exists hidden within medieval ruins and are involved in an ongoing family feud with local warlocks. Whose side might you take?
82. A wishing well in the woods rumored to be magic actually summons otherworldly beings – you accidentally call forth an evil entity. Can it be safely trapped again before wreaking havoc?
83. You’re an ancient being placed to eternally stand watch over a Pandora’s box-like prison trapping mythical monsters. If unleashed again, describe battling them.
84. Every stranger in your town is suspiciously eccentric and oddly secretive about their past almost like they aren’t fully human…
85. A unicorn guides you to a protected grove where Pegasus still roams free. Efforts are being made to conserve it before poachers discover and capture the rare winged stallion for profit.
86. Write about a parallel fantasy realm connected to our world. As a “planewalker” you guide diplomatic relations between the interconnected dimensions.
87. You discover a secret sanctuary dedicating to rehabilitating and caring for sick or injured creatures of myth like dragons, griffins and more until they can be released back into the magical wild. Volunteer efforts you might contribute to help the cause.
88. Perhaps myths simply evolved from ancient people misinterpreting dinosaurs bones unearthed…write about a “fossil hunt” that takes a turn exposing still-living prehistoric beasts hidden within a remote lost world.
89. Ghost hunters eagerly recruit you after discovering you can communicate with spirits and creatures invisible to others. But the spirits grow dangerously hostile…
90. A wishing well in the woods rumored to have real magic actually serves as a portal. You accidentally fall through it into a whimsical fantasy realm populated by strange creatures unimagined on Earth. Unable to return the same way, you go on a journey seeking another pathway home.
91. You discover evidence of a secret magical world existing parallel alongside the human one – a major clue something big is coming that will shatter the Veil separating realities.
92. You serve your angelic guardians that have secretly protected your bloodline through generations – destiny calls for you to develop dormant magical gifts and powers to battle rising demons in an esoteric war.
93. A dark fairy from ancient times awakens seeking revenge against your ancestors for defeating it long ago. Train to defeat it again in an epic magical duel before its spreading evil curse poisons the land.
94. You suspect your new principal may secretly be a dragon in human form because she oddly obsesses over collecting golden treasure. Confirm the truth and her mysterious endgame.
95. A vortex accidentally opens in your school to a monster dimension – teach unusual creatures while finding a way to return them home before military intervention escalates chaos.
96. A possessive genie sabotages your wishes, causing mayhem while declaring only he can magically solve the problems. Outsmart him to win your freedom before losing everything.
97. A fairy plague is slowly transforming local wildlife into mythical chimeras. Contain the outbreak before the transformations dangerously spread.
98. Your grandpa reveals while deathly ill that your family descends from ancient monster slayers. Inherit the duty to defend townsfolk from attacking beasts thought extinct.
99. You serve the lair of a reclusive beast to repay an old family debt. What tasks might it demand to reluctantly keep appeased and quelled?
100. A secret sanctuary near your home dedicates itself to rehabilitating sick or injured beasts and beings of lore. They recruit local youths including you to assist their noble cause.

These stories stir curiosity about what may lurk just out of sight. Legends often illuminate unexplained phenomena to make sense of our world. Reflecting on persistent myths can unveil deeper truths.

The common threads among widespread cryptid tales suggest genuine phenomena. Consistent reporting of creatures like Bigfoot across distant lands implies an elusive species, not just fantasy. Just because science hasn’t confirmed their existence doesn’t mean they cannot exist. There are still discoveries waiting in the wings.

Rather than dismiss legends, we should explore what core insights they offer. Myths reveal mysteries about nature we have yet to unravel. They compel us to push boundaries of the known and rethink assumptions. There may be meaning yet to decipher.

These stories reveal more about humanity than the creatures themselves. Our collective imagination, across eras and cultures, gravitates to similar archetypes. These memes endure in folklore because they speak to innate truths about life that resonate across humanity’s storyline.

Revisiting myths prompts us to expand horizons beyond the probable into possibilities. As we peel back layers, history reveals itself a puzzle still being pieced together. We each play a role in deciphering enduring enigmas and truths timelessly transmitted through legendary lore lingers through eras awaiting revelation. The stories persist, awaiting interpreters to unlock ever unfolding wisdom. If you enjoyed these writing prompts, we have many more on our site.